Industry support for dental education.

The relationships between industry and dental education are multiple and mutually beneficial. Perhaps most prominent are collaboration on research and development of products and technologies and the knowledge and public credibility that accompany them. Industry is also looked to for product and equipment support in schools and increasingly for help with outreach and access programs schools provide for underserved populations. Not as widely recognized, but still quite important, are the programs for support of student research and sharing of management expertise through exchange of board members. A quarter century ago, the relationship between schools and industry was at arm's length. There was a mistrust in schools that feared exposing their students to commercial contact. Today the relationship has evolved into a mutual search for joint benefits with an eye on the future of the profession and its relationship with patients. This is illustrated in the American Dental Education Association Corporate Council.